Branner feeding device.



No. 822,699. PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906. L. G. STEELE.

BRANNER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.5. 1905.

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BRANNER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1905.

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LAWRENCE C. STEELE, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICANSHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATIONOF NEW JERSEY.

BRANNER FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1906,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE C. STEELE, of Wheeling, Ohio county, WestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Branner Feeding Device, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation ofapparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a topplan view of the same. Fig. 3 1s a detail view of the clutch mechanism,and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner of feeding.

My invention relates to the feeding of sheets from a tin-plate catcherinto a branner, and is designed to provide a simple and effectivemechanism for delivering a sheet singly and successively to thebranner-hooks.

The apparatus is more especially designed for a duplex tin-platecatcher, though it may be employed with different types of catchers.

In the drawings, 2 2- and 3 3 represent the tinning-rolls of a duplextinning-pot, and 4 4 and 5 5 the corresponding catcher-rolls, which areprovided with disks of soft material. Guide-fingers 6 direct the risingsheets upwardly between the catcherrolls. From the catcher-rolls 4 and 5the sheets are directed inwardly and upwardly by the guides 7 and 8 tothe upper catcher-rolls 9 9, which are also preferably provided withdisks faced with soft material. The successive sheets pass upwardlythrough the rolls 9, feed up between the inclined guides 10 and 11, andthence slide down the inclined chute 12. This chute is preferablyprovided with a grated or skeleton bottom, and intermediate of itslength are placed the disk rolls 13 and 14. The shaft 15 of the lowerroll is extended and positively driven through a clutch connection 16,while the u per roll is driven by friction. These disk ro ls are alsopreferably faced with soft material, thou 'h they may be provided' withhard disks, i desired. Over the lower end of the chute is the shaft 17,carrying the sprocket-wheels for the chains 18, to which thebranner-fingers 19 are secured. The branner-hooks pass between the barsof the table in their movement. At the lower end of the chute is mounteda lever 20, having a bent upper portion 21 and normally held in verticalposition by a weighted arm 22. The cross-bars 23, to which thehookfingers are secured, are arranged to press upon the lever 20 anddepress it as long as the crossbar contacts with the part 21 of thelever. During this period the lever 20 acts, through link 24 andbell-crank 25, toforce the clutch 16 into enga ement, and thus drive therollers13 and 14. After the bar 23 passes the cam-lever 21 the weight 22will return the lever and withdraw the clutch, thus stopping furthermovement of the disk rolls.

In the operation of the device the sheets rise alternately through thepairs of catcherrolls 4 and 5 and slide successively down the chute 12.The sheet sliding down enters the rolls 13 14 and is stopped therebyuntil the hook-bar acts upon the cam-lever to turn the rolls as the hooktakes out the sheet, which is dropped down into the stationary hooks 26.This serves to feed the sheet downwardly through the rollers for aboutone-half its length. It will then stop at the osition shown at a in Fig.4. The next sheet marked 1)) will then slide down into the nip of therollers and stop until the neXt cross-bar on the branner feed acts uponthe cam-lever 20. The rollers will then again be turned, feeding thesheet (I, downwardly, so that it slides into the bottom stationaryhooks, while the sheet I) is fed forward about one-half of its length.This action is repeated. during the operation of the machine.

The advantages of my invention result from the simple and positivedevice for preventing two sheets from entering the same branner-fingers.The device is not liable to get out of order and will efficiently handlethe ready output of a duplex machine.

Many changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the partswithout departing from my invention.

I. claim 1. In a branner feeding device, an inclined chute, a pair ofrollers intermediate of its length, and means for intermittentlyrotating the rollers; substantially as described.

2. In a branner feeding device, an inclined chute, a pair of rollersintermediate of its length, a branner-chain, and connections controlledby the branner-chain for intermittently rotating the rollerssubstantially as described.

3. In a branner feeding device, an inclined chute having stationaryhooks at its lower for rotating said rolls to feed a sheet a part of toend, rollers located at an intermediate part of its length only;substantially as described.

the chute, a branner-feed having hooks mov- In testimony whereof I havehereunto set ing between the stationary hooks, and a my hand.

clutch-drive for the intermediate rollers controlled by the movement ofthe branner- LAWRENCE STEELE hooks; substantially as described.Witnesses:

4. In a branner feeding device, an inclined S. H. WILDEBUSOH,

chute, a pair of feed-rolls therein, and means E. L. QUIMBY.

